Smaller-than-normal crowd for Orioles last night

Even with the enticement of a free Keith Urban concert (googles Keith Urban, realizes he’s a thing), the crowds in Baltimore weren’t quite what they could have been last night.

With the Ravens playing their first game since winning the Super Bowl nearly a continent away, the homestanding Orioles welcomed 17,383 fans to Camden Yards, for a game between a team scrambling for a wild card berth and the last-place Chicago White Sox.

For context, the Orioles’ previous weeknight series, against the Tampa Bay Rays on Aug. 19-21, drew an average of 26,508 per game. And the free concert drew 42,500.

Meanwhile, the Ravens’ homecoming was delayed, thematically and specifically, as lightning caused a half-hour wait and the Broncos thrashed them in the opener.

The baseball game in Baltimore was played in a crisp two hours and 34 minutes after a 7:05 p.m. start, meaning you could have watched the whole thing and caught the Ravens before halftime. At that point, the Orioles had just won 3-1 and the Ravens were still in the game.

“We’re just trying to get to their level consistently like [the Ravens have] been consistent. That’s what we want to be,’’ Showalter said, via Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun. “To critique the fans or our fellow Baltimoreans on what they consider worthy of their time on a given night, I’m not going to critique that. I’m just excited that anybody decides to come here.”

The crowds might pick up tonight, with Baltimorans attentions undivided. And the lords of baseball can gloat amongst themselves, having finally won an arm-wrestling contest with their big brothers in football.

Ridicules. I can guaran-damn-tee that in my city (St. Louis) any of the pro sports teams would have gladly deferred to the other for their opening day after coming off of a championship. I have to believe it would be the same in most cities. Shame on the Orioles.

It was the White Sox (comparing that with a Rays game is stupid) and it was the first football game. With those two combined, it wasn’t going to be a good turn out. A day game would have probably been worse.

I would have been very upset with the Orioles if I were a Ravens fan. Watching all the pomp & circumstance with the Opener, you’d think Denver was the Returning Champ. I think the atmosphere surrounding the game propelled Denver to the win. The Opener is one last reward for winning the Superbowl. The B-More fans got shafted out of a nice night at the Stadium.

This whole drama happened back in March, Nelson. Why would the Orioles, coming off a playoff appearance, agree to a scheduling change for September – the most important month of the season – to accommodate another team?

The only ways the O’s could have accommodated the Ravens would have been to play a double header, move a game or even two to the afternoons, and drastically change their travel schedules, during the crucial stretch run in which they only had one off day already to begin with. If there was an easy fix, they would’ve done it. There wasn’t, and now here they are, playing for a playoff spot (even if you don’t seem to think so) and they’re doing so without an adulterated schedule that some random, rabid fans and NFL suits wanted.

Speaking of the NFL suits… This was an NFL problem, not the Orioles’ or MLB’s. The NFL arbitrarily decided 9 years ago to CREATE a tradition in which the Super Bowl winner kicked off the season. It sounds great, if doable, but they didn’t take into account teams who share infrastructure with other professional teams in those respective cities. It happened with these teams, and in order to fix it, it was on the NFL, nobody else. The fact that the NFL went public with this “issue” and drew up angst toward MLB/the Orioles was PATHETIC!

I love both my teams but the Orioles did exactly what they should’ve done in this situation. The Ravens still opened up the season. They’ll get a nice ten day break between the game and week 2. And they’ll still play 8 games at home.

And the Orioles didn’t suffer a setback on their campaign for another playoff appearance.

MLB’s schedule is done before NFL’s. That’s why the Ravens were on the road, simple as that. By the time MLB’s schedule is done, there’s no way to possibly say “Well maybe we should have this game on the road, the NFL team from our city might win the superbowl.”

I agree that this has nothing to do with football vs baseball. Yes, there was a logistical problem, and what SHOULD have happened, was the owner of the Orioles, Ravens along with Goodell should have sat down, and figured out a way to make this work. There were no negotiations, because the O’s simply said they weren’t going to change the game.

This is about the fans, nothing else. Everyone that was at the O’s game last night is also a fan of the Ravens. The RIGHT thing to do, would have been to move the game so that the FANS could have seen both games. If the game would have been moved to the afternoon, and been promoted as part of the award ceremony, that stadium would have been packed to the rafters instead of 17,000 people. Have Ray Lewis throw out the first pitch. Finish the baseball game, hit the concert, then to the Ravens game.

Instead, they had 30,000 empty seats and the Ravens got destroyed on the road.

I can tell you this, if I was a fan of the Ravens, I would’t go to another O’s game for the rest of the year.

The fact is, baseball is a boring sport. It stinks. ‘Watching’ bowling and putt-putt is seriously more entertaining than MLB. The only time baseball is ever mentioned in the news is when it involves P.E.D.’s or steroids. Lame sport.

MLB is bigger than the NFL? The only thing MLB has on any other sports is the fact that they have zero tolerance with PED’s. The MLB is the like the retarded step-brother compared to the NFL. Dont worry baseball fans, the MLB will soon be surpassed by the NHL

It all worked out in the end. Home field advantage wouldn’t have changed the outcome of last nights game. You would have had A LOT of angry Ravens fans leaving that loss in Baltimore wishing they didn’t spend the money on tickets and beer just to watch Peyton hand out touchdowns like a soup at a homeless shelter.

This situation happened not only because of the Orioles, but because of the other teams involved and impacted by any changes to the O’s schedule, and the brass at the MLB and the players association.
I agree that the NFL should’ve sucked it up and scheduled the game for Wed when the O’s were playing away…

1) Prior to last year, that game last night wouldn’t have drawn 10,000 people. Trust me, I’ve had season tickets since Memorial Stadium days, yes, even when the O’s sucked. And whoever compares TB with CWS crowds is either clueless or just trying to be controversial.

2) MLB, CWS and the Players Association had to agree to move the game – it was NOT soley the Orioles call.

3) There was a LOT of purple in the crowd, so the fans were showing all of Baltimore support.

4) The NFL should have just planned to open Wednesday night instead of Thursday. But they showed zero flexibility and fd the Ravens out of what they deserved. Of course not nearly as bad as the f’ing administered by Manning and the Donkeys but that’s neither here or there.

5) I saw the first 7 innings in person, caught some of the Ravens game before halftime (thanks to the weather). (And thanks to PM), I didn’t miss all that much sleep. 6TD’s was enough for me!

It all worked out in the end. Home field advantage wouldn’t have changed the outcome of last nights game. You would have had A LOT of angry Ravens fans leaving that loss in Baltimore wishing they didn’t spend the money on tickets and beer just to watch Peyton hand out touchdowns like a soup at a homeless shelter.

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Hey, Einstein, due to the NFL schedule rotation the Ravens wouldn’t have played the Broncos had they been home last night. That game was scheduled to be in Denver regardless of when it was played. Most likely, the Ravens would have played the Patriots, Packers, or Steelers.

jimmyt says:
Sep 6, 2013 9:32 AM
Ridicules. I can guaran-damn-tee that in my city (St. Louis) any of the pro sports teams would have gladly deferred to the other for their opening day after coming off of a championship. I have to believe it would be the same in most cities. Shame on the Orioles.
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not just the orioles, the sox had a say too. Can you guaran-damn-tee the visiting team would have deferred? Didn’t think so…

larrydavid7000 says:
Sep 6, 2013 11:02 AM
Second best in your own town Sad just very Sad. That would not happened in D.C. Football is King in our City. How was that beat down last night Cleveland ravens. LOL and LMAO….
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Umm… you don’t even play football in your city, you play in Landover… so football is king in Landover?

The only thing your guaranteed when you win a SB. Opening at home is just a bonus. This should be a nonissue. Raven fans are just sore because they are for sure 0-1 instead of probably 1-0. Your team got embarrassed, stop your whining. There’s always week 2 to try for win #1.

again..this is not a baseball issue. this is completely an nfl issue. they moved the game to wednesday last year. but the ratings were down so nbc was not happy. so roger blamed the orioles and rosh hashana and said we are playing on thursday. i love both sports and the orioles and ravens…but this issue is totally on the nfl. and yes..the ravens got whooped. no excuses…they lost. and now their toughest road game is over. go ravens and go orioles